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The Big One strikes again at Talladega
A total of 25 cars suffer damage in wreck with 56 laps to go
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
May 1, 2005
07:49 PM EDT (23:49 GMT)
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- It wasn't the bone-jarring Big One that the Busch Series provided on Saturday, but for sheer numbers, it was hard to top what happened in the Aaron's 499.
Only 10 cars finished on Sunday without any damage as a pair of big wrecks thinned the field with military precision.
The Big One on Sunday involved 25 cars, so many that two of the victims (Matt Kenseth, Casey Mears) went on to finish in the top 15.
The incident brought out a 43-minute red flag and raised the ire of drivers who had hoped to make it through Talladega unscathed.
It happened heading into Turn 1. Mike Wallace, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. got together, setting off a chain-reaction accident.
The incident sent 10 drivers to the infield medical center, but all were treated and released.
Most drivers were in the garage trying to get back out on the track to get points, including Scott Riggs, who had spent 93 laps in the top 10.
"Someone said the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) someone said the 8 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.)," Riggs said, "Whomever it was, hitting someone that hard on the frontstretch with 70 laps to go is stupid.
"They are supposed to be the big high and mighty all-stars of this sport, so long as they keep on doing it, and people keep on letting them do it, I guess they will continue to be there."
"The 48 ran the 4 into the fence, and into the 10 (Riggs)," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I was pushing the 4, and the guy beside him, which I was told was the 48, squeezed him into the fence."
For a time, it appeared that the 194-lap race would finish without a multi-car accident, as the race had featured just four brief caution flags.
"It was definitely a good race going on," said Kyle Busch, who was one of three cars that didn't make it back to the track after the wreck. "I kind of hung back."
Busch thought that Johnson drifted too high the track, but like most drivers, he had to watch the wreck via a TV replay. No one could see through the massive smoke generated by the spinning cars.
"It looked like the 48 (Johnson) squeezed the 4 (Mike Wallace) up into towards the fence," Busch said. "The 8 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) was behind him, nowhere to go."
"All I saw was smoke. All of a sudden I saw smoke pouring up front," said Rusty Wallace. "Just got collected. I couldn't see what happened at all."
Wallace owns a Busch Series car that was involved in a 17-car accident on Saturday, and he says he was trying to avoid meeting the same fate.
"Watching the race yesterday, I was being extra careful not to screw up," Wallace said.
In the pre-race drivers meeting, Nextel Cup race director David Hoots asked drivers to bump-draft on the backstretch only.
Tony Stewart has never been a fan of restrictor-plate racing, but he says that Hoots' request was, for the most part, honored on Sunday, but it only took a couple of incidents to create mayhem.
"If they want us to stop bump-drafting, take the plates off," Stewart said. "The tri-oval is the one area where people have problems.
"It's not the best spot to do it, for the most part, (Hoots' request) was a good reminder and they took it to heart."
A total of 25 cars suffer damage in wreck with 56 laps to go
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
May 1, 2005
07:49 PM EDT (23:49 GMT)
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- It wasn't the bone-jarring Big One that the Busch Series provided on Saturday, but for sheer numbers, it was hard to top what happened in the Aaron's 499.
Only 10 cars finished on Sunday without any damage as a pair of big wrecks thinned the field with military precision.
The Big One on Sunday involved 25 cars, so many that two of the victims (Matt Kenseth, Casey Mears) went on to finish in the top 15.
The incident brought out a 43-minute red flag and raised the ire of drivers who had hoped to make it through Talladega unscathed.
It happened heading into Turn 1. Mike Wallace, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. got together, setting off a chain-reaction accident.
The incident sent 10 drivers to the infield medical center, but all were treated and released.
Most drivers were in the garage trying to get back out on the track to get points, including Scott Riggs, who had spent 93 laps in the top 10.
"Someone said the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) someone said the 8 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.)," Riggs said, "Whomever it was, hitting someone that hard on the frontstretch with 70 laps to go is stupid.
"They are supposed to be the big high and mighty all-stars of this sport, so long as they keep on doing it, and people keep on letting them do it, I guess they will continue to be there."
"The 48 ran the 4 into the fence, and into the 10 (Riggs)," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I was pushing the 4, and the guy beside him, which I was told was the 48, squeezed him into the fence."
For a time, it appeared that the 194-lap race would finish without a multi-car accident, as the race had featured just four brief caution flags.
"It was definitely a good race going on," said Kyle Busch, who was one of three cars that didn't make it back to the track after the wreck. "I kind of hung back."
Busch thought that Johnson drifted too high the track, but like most drivers, he had to watch the wreck via a TV replay. No one could see through the massive smoke generated by the spinning cars.
"It looked like the 48 (Johnson) squeezed the 4 (Mike Wallace) up into towards the fence," Busch said. "The 8 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) was behind him, nowhere to go."
"All I saw was smoke. All of a sudden I saw smoke pouring up front," said Rusty Wallace. "Just got collected. I couldn't see what happened at all."
Wallace owns a Busch Series car that was involved in a 17-car accident on Saturday, and he says he was trying to avoid meeting the same fate.
"Watching the race yesterday, I was being extra careful not to screw up," Wallace said.
In the pre-race drivers meeting, Nextel Cup race director David Hoots asked drivers to bump-draft on the backstretch only.
Tony Stewart has never been a fan of restrictor-plate racing, but he says that Hoots' request was, for the most part, honored on Sunday, but it only took a couple of incidents to create mayhem.
"If they want us to stop bump-drafting, take the plates off," Stewart said. "The tri-oval is the one area where people have problems.
"It's not the best spot to do it, for the most part, (Hoots' request) was a good reminder and they took it to heart."
